GX85 Battery Life - Shelf/Stored

[Replytoken]

Good luck with the repair. Mine caught me out last week though it was my own fault. I used my GX80 trying to replicate a situation that @WaltP reported with the EVF darkening during focus assist magnification. The camera died within a minute or so of use. I forgot about it and then a few days later I took the camera on a 5 mile hike to a very scenic location. I swapped to the spare battery which of course was also completely dead.

I think I got around 3 weeks out of the in camera battery with a little use in between. I'm not so sure about the out of camera battery, I think I last charged it maybe 6-8 weeks ago but I did leave it on the 3rd party charging shoe. This is a habit I'm trying to break, though it was never a problem with my EM10's spare battery.

Ouch! I would leave the battery out of the camera, but I am suspecting that it would stress and drain the on-board battery for the clock, and the camera might reset itself. If the setting held and the on-board did not drain the rechargeable one, I could live with just resetting the clock. But, I think that I am going to send it in.

--Ken

 

[Replytoken]

Well, my camera came back from Panasonic with a new PCB board and I have had a week or two to test the battery drain in storage with a fully charged battery. Mixed news. The battery is draining at a slower rate, perhaps at 1/4 to 1/3 the prior rate, but it is still draining over twice as fast as my GF7. It is livable, but not what I would have expected. Thankfully, they returned the camera with the test battery still in it, and it seems to hold a strong charge, so I now have three batteries for the camera.

--Ken

 

[stratokaster]

FWIW, my GX85 recently went completely flat (even refusing to turn on) after 2 weeks in the camera bag.

 

[Replytoken]

FWIW, my GX85 recently went completely flat (even refusing to turn on) after 2 weeks in the camera bag.

I am not that surprised. I would love to know why it is such a battery hungry body. The only other camera I have owned that comes close is my D500. And while its drain in storage is moderate, it does have a large battery.

TBH, I had very high hopes for the GX85 as I really wanted a rangefinder body. But despite its many great features and a great sensor, the battery and mediocre EVF have really made it hard for me to enjoy using it.

I hope your problem turns out to just be the battery.

--Ken

 

[stratokaster]

I am not that surprised. I would love to know why it is such a battery hungry body. The only other camera I have owned that comes close is my D500. And while its drain in storage is moderate, it does have a large battery.

TBH, I had very high hopes for the GX85 as I really wanted a rangefinder body. But despite its many great features and a great sensor, the battery and mediocre EVF have really made it hard for me to enjoy using it.

I hope your problem turns out to just be the battery.

--Ken

I probably don't really care at this point. I have been using this camera for more than 4 years, it has served me well and is pretty beat up at this point. I'm keeping it as a backup body. If it dies, I would simply shrug it off and buy something else.

 

[threeOh]

My Nikons were fine as well. My Fuji's were not. My GX85 and GM1 are not. Though the OEM batteries were far better than the Wasabi's I threw away. Just keep whatever battery is next in line in the charger.

 

[PeeBee]

Ouch! I would leave the battery out of the camera, but I am suspecting that it would stress and drain the on-board battery for the clock, and the camera might reset itself. If the setting held and the on-board did not drain the rechargeable one, I could live with just resetting the clock. But, I think that I am going to send it in.

--Ken

Wow, did they take 14 months to turn that repair around? I hope not, I'm just about to send my G80 in for a warranty repair.

My GX80 hasn't caught me out for a now. I think that's because I naturally assume the batteries will be dead now and I factor checking and charging before each use. It's not ideal, but since it's not my main camera I can live with it.

 

[Replytoken]

Wow, did they take 14 months to turn that repair around? I hope not, I'm just about to send my G80 in for a warranty repair.

My GX80 hasn't caught me out for a now. I think that's because I naturally assume the batteries will be dead now and I factor checking and charging before each use. It's not ideal, but since it's not my main camera I can live with it.

No, the repair took about three weeks or so without travel time. More info here if you are interested (but I see you are in the UK so this may not be of much value if you are considering a repair): https://www.mu-43.com/threads/how-has-your-panacare-experience-been.106893/#post-1398862 .

--Ken